Soft Whispers and Makeup Brushes
by Trinitysquared
Summary: Nishinoya can't sleep, so he turns to the internet for help. What he wasn't expecting was that his vice-captain would be the one to help him. (Originally posted on AO3)
1. Autopsy Response?

3 points. He just needed 3 more points to pass and he couldn't even do that. His hands shook as he gripped the red mark piece of paper, stuffing it into his bag.

Lunch was quiet. He sat alone outside, letting the sun try and warm his still cold hands.

Club was just miserable. He kept missing receives left and right. He snapped at his teammates for worrying. He was sent home early to cool down.

He flopped onto his bed, exhausted. The whole day seemed to pass by in a blur, yet he could remember the small details. He didn't understand. He was always centimetres away from failure, why was it getting to him now?

He cried that night.

 _Yuu… you're such a failure._

* * *

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.

ASMR for short.

Nishinoya had absolutely no idea what any of that meant, but if what he overheard in class was true, then it could help him settle down and maybe get some sleep. He looked at the time on his lock screen. 02:43. Great, another late night.

He tried not to let it show, but lately, he just wasn't sleeping well. He knew it was a number of things mixed together, not just the failed test, but the fact of the matter was he couldn't sleep and he was fed up with it. So, not knowing what to expect, he typed in those 4 letters and let the internet decide his fate.

Wow.

There was a lot.

Like. A lot.

He hadn't realized that this wasn't just some niche thing a couple girls in his class were into, but it was a whole genre of videos ranging in anything and everything! That in itself was almost overwhelming enough to make him turn off his phone. But he kept looking, scrolling through the results, determined to at least try before completely giving up-

His thumb stopped just above a thumbnail of a pretty guy holding a brush of some sort, gazing at him in an almost loving way.

"...Suga?"

He had to look again. It couldn't be him, there was no way. But the guy looked just like him! He even had the beauty mark and everything!

His eyes darted to the channel name.

 **SugaAndSpiceASMR**

He couldn't help but snicker quietly at the pun.

Well. That just confirmed it. His upperclassman and vice-captain was a part of this ASMR thing. And he just happened to stumble upon it. He moved onto his side from his stomach, still smiling. He had to admit, the name suited him well, what with his good intentions towards the team and his supportive nature while also being a bit mischievous at times.

Well, if he was gonna dive into this vast unknown sea, it wouldn't hurt to start with someone he knew. So he clicked the video and waited for it to load.

At this point, Nishinoya realized he didn't actually know what he was in for. From what he recalled there was a lot of whispering and maybe some tapping? And a bunch of other possible things that he didn't quite catch. Whatever it was, he hoped he didn't accidentally search up some weird fetish thing. That'd make things awkward, especially if that meant he'd been listening in on some girls' conversation about it.

That feeling melted away instantly once the video began to play. The walls of his room were decorated with gold and pink fairy lights that made everything else look so warm. Suga himself looked like he was glowing. He was dressed in a white knit sweater that looked oh so cozy, and his smile was the icing on the cake.

"Hello everyone. Welcome back, it's so nice to see you again."

Nishinoya wasn't sure why he was speaking as if he was in the room, but he didn't want to think about it too hard.

"Today, I thought I'd show you these makeup brushes I got, and I'll be brushing your face." Suddenly his voice was in Nishinoya left ear as he leaned to the side, whispering "brush" over and over again, and then moving to his right.

 _Whoa. That's kinda cool. How'd he do that?_

Suga picked up a brush, presumably the one he saw in the thumbnail, and proceeded to brush it across his hand. He could hear the sound of the fibres moving across his skin, which sent a tingle down his back.

 _Weird. Is that supposed to happen? Maybe it's the meridian thing or whatever._

What did meridian even mean?

"First up, is this powder brush. It's incredibly soft and fluffy, which you probably already noticed." He giggled softly, his eyes scrunching up in that cute Suga way of his.

Nishinoya felt himself sinking into his bed, more at ease with his friend at his side even if it was pre-recorded through a screen.

He began at the top of Nishinoya's forehead and slowly worked his way down, over his eyes, along the bridge of his nose, lightly tapping each of his cheeks, tickling his lips, caressing his jawline, all while continuing to talk ever so soft and slowly.

"You've done so much good today. I'm so, so proud of you. I'm sorry that you're not feeling well, but I know that you are going to get through this. You are so strong."

It was almost like he knew exactly what to say to make him feel even the tiniest bit better. He smiled, feeling his eyelids getting heavy.

 _Thanks, Suga._

* * *

The buzzing of his alarm jolted Nishinoya awake that morning. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up. It'd only been about 4 hours since he crashed, but he'd crashed hard. Now instead of feeling tired and restless like he usually did, he just felt... tired. His phone was laying beside him, and at some point in the night his earbuds had gotten tangled up around his neck. Whoops. As he carefully unwound them, trying not to choke himself, he unlocked his phone. It must have fallen asleep once the video finished. He didn't really remember much after the second brush-

He noticed the time stamp.

54 MINUTES?!

Did Suga actually spend almost an hour sitting in his room, filming himself brushing a camera and whisper talking into a mic? Damn, that was some dedication. On top of the club and studying for exams, Suga was a real trooper to get this out as well.

He clicked on his channel name and browsed through some more of his uploads before tossing his sheets aside. Seemed like he uploaded every 2 weeks or so. And his sub count was pretty impressive too. He smiled.

Nishinoya wasn't exactly sure what Suga was doing, but whatever it was, he was good at it. And he seemed to be enjoying himself too.

* * *

He didn't bring it up when he saw Suga that morning, just giving his usual smile and a quick greeting before waving and heading off to class. He didn't notice the look Suga gave him as he left.

He didn't bring it up when they saw each other at club either. He didn't think he was ever going to, but seeing the way Suga leaned in towards Hinata as they quietly made plans for the upcoming practice game, he couldn't help but think back to the warmth he felt as Suga's voice went back and forth from ear to ear. He wanted to ask him about it, he wanted to know how he even started this whole thing, what the heck ASMR even was and why he liked it. But he didn't. He figured there was a reason he hadn't mentioned it before. Instead, he waited not-so-patiently for club to end, and then rushed all the way home so he could finish his homework and start another video.

* * *

Suga was the one to bring it up- or at least he was the one who accidentally instigated the process of it being brought up.

"You seem much livelier today, Nishinoya."

He turned to see Suga stood beside him, having also just finished their diving drills.

"What do ya mean? I'm always lively Suga!"

"Well, I kinda noticed you seemed a bit sluggish during practice since second term started. And the other day... I was honestly a bit worried." His sheepish smile and droopy brows made his heart jump.

"I-is that so?" He paused, a small pout forming on his lips. "Well, I might have been having some trouble sleeping-"

"Hm? Sleeping trouble? Something bothering you?"

Normally he would've brushed it off with a laugh and a "don't worry about it!", but the look in Suga's eyes suddenly made that a difficult thing to do.

"Um- well, I uh-"

"Alright boys, line up! Let's start with receives, you guys were sloppy the other day. Let's go, chop chop!"

Coach Ukai's voice and sharp claps cut right through their conversation. Nishinoya was both relieved and disappointed. They both turned to move to where everyone was gathering.

"Nishinoya."

Suga was still beside him.

"If you ever wanna talk, you can come to me anytime."

There was that smile. The way his eyes crinkled, his beauty mark even more present on his skin complimented by a hint of pink on his cheeks, how could he say no?

"...thanks Suga!"

* * *

"You okay Noya?"

"Nishinoya senpai!"

He wasn't sure what'd happened. One moment he was about to dive for the ball, then all of a sudden his feet had slipped out from right under him. A wet spot they missed? Or maybe he just lost his footing? He coughed, or at least tried to. Man, he was in pain, just breathing was almost too much.

"Here, let me help."

He didn't have the breath to protest as Suga gently helped him to his feet.

"I'll take him to the infirmary, that okay with you coach?"

Ukai nodded. Takeda looked as nervous as ever.

"Do you need any help Sugawara senpai?"

"I got it, but thanks Yachi!"

Suga looked back at Nishinoya.

"Just lean on me for now. You probably winded yourself."

Taking a shallow breath in, he nodded.

Slowly they made their way towards the infirmary. At one point Suga jokingly suggested he give him a piggyback ride, but with the risk of hurting Nishinoya more he quickly shut down the idea. Nishinoya wouldn't have minded honestly. It was a bit awkward, at least for Suga, having him bend down so much just so Nishinoya could get an arm around his shoulder. He felt bad.

The school nurse took a quick look at him, checking his heartbeat and vitals and whatnot. It was just as Suga said, he'd knocked the wind right out of him with that fall, and probably bruised his chin. She had him lay down on one of the cots, pulling the curtain around it before going back to her desk work.

"You gonna be okay?" Suga asked tentatively.

Nishinoya replied with 2 thumbs up and a huge grin. "A fall like that... isn't gonna stop me."

Suga noticed the long pause between his words and the worry was plain to see on his face.

"Well alright. I'll come back and check on you in a bit-"

"Uh Suga, wait."

He stopped turning midway, looking back at Nishinoya.

"Hm? What's up?"

"Well... you said, I could talk to you... about what's been bothering me. Can... can you stay? Just for a little bit?" Even though he was still in pain, he knew he wasn't going to have the courage to do this any time after.

The worry turned into delight as Suga grabbed a nearby stool, more than happy to listen to his underclassman.

"Like I said, I'm all ears. Just- don't strain yourself. Take your time."

And so Nishinoya, with some difficulty, told Suga about his personal worries, his fears about letting the team down before nationals, keeping up with school and his latest failed test, all while Suga listened attentively. That was always something he admired about him. Nishinoya was always gogogo, bursting with energy and looking forward to the next new thing, but Suga was able to slow down and take in his surroundings, gaining understanding in ways he couldn't. His patience and ability to listen were traits he felt that he, and the others, took for granted sometimes.

By the time he was done, Nishinoya felt like he could breathe a little easier. Whether that was from talking to Suga or laying down he wasn't sure.

"I didn't realize how much you had on your plate, Nishinoya. I'm sorry you've been feeling so alone lately."

"It's okay Suga! It's my bad, for keeping it in for so long. You don't have to feel responsible."

He smiled tenderly. "I know Nishinoya. I just wish there was some way I could've helped you out-"

"But you have!"

Oops. He didn't mean to spill the beans so soon, but seeing Suga look so beaten down because of his own problems, he couldn't help but blurt it out.His surprise was plain to see.

"I... what?"

Nishinoya turned away, looking at his feet. He wasn't about to come up with some big lie to cover up his blunder.

"I, um... I found your videos."

He didn't need to say anything more for Suga to understand what he meant.

"Oh." He looked away, covering his face with one hand. "Well, this is kinda embarrassing. I can't believe you found my channel."

"It was by accident, I swear!"

"...how long have you known?"

"Uh... since like, a week ago?"

"Ah."

Silence fell between the two. Nishinoya felt bad for bringing it up. Obviously, it seemed like a touchy subject.

"I, uh... I didn't know you were into ASMR."

"I'm not- or, well, I wasn't. I just overheard something about it in class, and well, I was kinda desperate at that point."

Nishinoya shifted on the cot, awkwardly sitting up.

"Ah- are you sure you should be sitting-?"

"I'm serious though."

"Eh?" Suga tilted his head, unsure of what he meant.

"Your videos. They really did help me. You said it yourself, I seem livelier lately, and that's because I started watching you! I'm still not really sure what an autopsy response or whatever it's called is, but it's been working for me a whole lot!"

Suga stared at him, dumbfounded, until he began laughing. Oh yes, if his smile was the icing on the cake, then his laughter was sugar dusted on top.

"Wow, that's... I honestly wasn't expecting that, I- heh, thank you Nishinoya." He looked at his hands, nervously twiddling his thumbs. "It's just... I don't know, I know you guys wouldn't judge me for something like this but... there are a lot of people who think it's a weird thing to be into, like it's a fetish thing or something equally crude. And I mean, that kind of stuff does exist cause that's just the internet, but what I and many others do is purely to help people relax and de-stress," he looked up at Nishinoya, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "and maybe even fall asleep."

Nishinoya suddenly felt guilty for thinking like that before. Of course, randomly searching up something your classmates had been talking about wasn't exactly the most trusted source, but he should have been a bit more open-minded, especially since Suga was a part of this vast world.

"I'll be honest, I kinda thought that way at the beginning. I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into. But you know, your videos speak volumes louder than any explanation. I already knew what your purpose was. And hey, even if it was some sort of weird fetish thing, I would never judge you for doing something you like. Not in a million years."

He spoke with the same conviction he used during those tough spots in a game when the team's morale was low and they needed to be brought back up to win the next point. He wanted Suga to know that he was serious, that it was okay.

"Nishinoya..." Suga smiled the way only he knew how. "Thank you."


	2. Assistant Noya

**Nishinoya** \- _you want to do what? how's that gonna work?_

Nishinoya looked at the text bubbles that popped up on screen, waiting for Suga's reply.

 **Sugawara** - _yeah! I think it'd be really fun!_

 **Sugawara** \- _I haven't done a video like that before, since I've had no one to do it with, but now that you know and actually like this kind of thing I want you to get involved a bit!_

 **Sugawara** \- _only if you want to that is, I won't force you_

Nishinoya thought for a bit. He made a compelling offer; Suga was gonna run his hands through his hair and brush his face, all while recording the sounds for a video. He wasn't sure how that was gonna work (he still wasn't sure how Suga sounded like he was in his ears) but the idea of him actually going through his hair and brushing his face, rather than pretending he was, sounded too good to pass up.

 **Sugawara** \- _if you're worried someone's gonna recognize you, I can probably figure something out_

 **Nishinoya** \- _nah, don't worry about that. if my hair's gonna be down then that should be fine._ _i mean shoyo wasn't even able to recognize me the first time with my hair down!_

/Sugawara sent a laughing sticker.

 **Sugawara** - _right! I remember hearing from Daichi_

 **Sugawara** \- _that and Asahi scaring the crap outta you guys after_

/Nishinoya sent a shivering sticker

 **Nishinoya** \- _i still have nightmares about that_

/Sugawara sent a comforting sticker.

 **Sugawara** \- _so, when are you free? It usually only takes me a couple days to edit, but I want to give myself a bit of extra time with this one. Would you be able to come over this Sunday?_

And so they planned for Sunday, for Nishinoya to come over and become Suga's assistant.

* * *

"Kinda feels like you're setting me up for some kind of secret mission."Suga laughed as he finished adjusting the small mic in Nishinoya's left ear.

"Well, I can definitely see why you'd think that. It's not every day you get hooked up with ear mics. Though I gotta say I'm pretty excited, I've never gotten to do this before. I'm already having fun."

"You seem a bit too excited Suga, maybe I shouldn't encourage you," Nishinoya joked.

He received a poke to the forehead and a devilish grin.

As he went back to work, Nishinoya resisted the urge to touch the hopefully secure technology placed in each of his ears. The last thing he wanted to do was break something or make Suga have to do extra work. He was already pretty busy trying to set everything up.

"So, we'll have to do a couple test runs just to make sure everything's working fine, and we can take breaks in between. I can edit it all together and level out the audio."

He nodded carefully as he looked around the room. It wasn't Suga's bedroom like he'd first thought, but a small guest room right beside it. He'd said it hadn't been seeing much use with relatives not visiting as much, so he took the opportunity and turned it into his own personal studio, complete with soundproofing and everything. He hadn't noticed the white foam lining the walls until he'd stepped in, which meant whatever he did to edit the videos was doing a good job. Well, that and he was too distracted by something (or someone) else to notice, but he didn't say that part aloud.

"So I gotta ask, how long have you been doing this?" Nishinoya could've just gone through his video timeline to see Suga's first upload, but he wanted to hear from him personally.

"Let's see... about a year I think? But I started watching back in first-year. It was around a point in my life when volleyball wasn't as prominent as it is now. The team wasn't as strong and I felt myself wanting to give up from all the stress of failure." He stopped fiddling with the camera settings. "I just- I needed an escape. Nothing permanent, just something I could go to for maybe like, 20 minutes a day and just forget about everything. And then, I stumbled across ASMR one night, and I was hooked. Being able to unwind and relax from different sounds created by people who care is comforting in a sense, and I began wanting to do the same thing- heh, listen to me ramble. I can imagine how weird this must sound."

"Nah, you're fine."

Suga smiled. He still wasn't used to sharing this part of his life with Nishinoya, so his defences were still a bit high. But he knew he had nothing to worry about.

He turned to his laptop and fiddled around a bit more before finally tearing himself away. "That should do it," he muttered before looking back. The shift of focus in his eyes caught Nishinoya by surprise as he soon found Suga at eye level.

"Suga?" He was a few inches away from his face.

"Ah- sorry. I was just- your chin, I mean."

Nishinoya reflexively brought a hand up to the spot where he'd banged his chin. Luckily the bruising wasn't as bad as they first thought, and only left a dark spot that could be easily mistaken as a birthmark.

"Oh yeah. It doesn't hurt that much anymore.

"That's good. I'd be worried if it was still sore after a week and a half.

Nishinoya nodded.

 _Wow. He has really pretty eyes. How have I never noticed before?_

"I'm about to start recording for the first test, are you ready?"

Nishinoya replied the best way he knew how; 2 big thumbs up and an even bigger smile. "Ready!"

* * *

"Hello everyone, and welcome back. I'm so glad to see you. Today, I have a very good friend with me who's going to help me out with something you all have been requesting for a while now."

Doing tests runs was one thing, but to actually be a part of the real thing knowing tens of thousands of people would be watching was a whole new feeling. It had him almost as nervous as playing a big game, with none of the atmosphere and all of the jitters. But he couldn't move around, he forced himself to be as still as possible. He didn't want to ruin this for Suga. Like he said, a lot of people had been waiting for this. So he sat, waiting for Suga to end his intro before starting at the hairline near his neck, only-

"Pffahaha!"

He'd forgotten how ticklish he was!

"Gah! Are you okay?" Suga asked, half-worried half-confused at Nishinoya's sudden outburst.

He panted for air, still laughing

"S...sorry Sugahaha!"

Suga giggled along with him.

"Jeez, that surprised me!"

"Sorry, probably shoulda told you about that before we started."

"You think?"

The two of them continued to laugh together, closing the gap between them. He could see Suga as he threw his head back, his eyes closed, his brows bunched together, his wide smile with each laugh. He looked nice.

"How about we start from the top?"

"You mean of my head or from the beginning?"

"Your head. I can edit that out in post-production."

"Nice. Maybe you should keep it for a blooper reel or something."

"Funny you mention that. I've got a folder filled with all kinds of screwups. I'm thinking next April Fool's I'll have enough to make a good compilation."

* * *

Once the two had calmed down, Suga went back to work. The nervous energy Nishinoya had felt earlier was gone, and he could fully allow himself to relax beneath Suga's magical hands, combing through his hair and massaging his scalp like it was the most natural thing in the world. His favourite part was when he started twirling around the short golden locks resting on his forehead, but hearing Suga's soft voice and warm breath next to his ears was definitely a close second.

* * *

They took a short break before moving on to the face brushing. Suga knew he was asking a lot of Nishinoya, having him sit still for so long, so he made sure he was well taken care of, bringing up some refreshments.

"Thanks, Suga," Nishinoya said as he took the glass of juice from Suga. "I dunno know how you do it, I would have gotten so bored by now if I were you." He raised the glass to his mouth.

Suga laughed as if he knew Nishinoya would say that. "What, you mean falling asleep on me wasn't you being bored?"

He almost spat out his drink. "I-I was not asleep!" He'd almost dozed off a few times. Almost.

He grinned teasingly. "Oh, of course, you weren't. But going back to your question, I'll admit, it does get a bit tedious at times, especially if I'm not feeling my best. But I have to remind myself that the people who are watching, they may be feeling even worse than I am. They're coming to me for their 20-minute escape, and I want them to be able to fully immerse themselves in it. I see it as less of a duty and more of a desire to help, if that makes any sense."

Nishinoya could feel his respect for Suga grow even more. He wasn't just like this at club, but in all aspects of his life.

 _What a guy, selfless as hell._

"Y'know, I said this a few months ago, but you've become such a cool guy Suga."

He blinked, a hint of pink dusting his cheeks.

"And that's still a huge compliment coming from you Nishinoya."

There was that smile again. Nishinoya felt his own cheeks heating up. It was true, he'd always thought Suga had really come into his own since last year. So why did he feel so… giddy about it now?

"So, you ready to get back at it?"

"Yeah! Just give me a sec." He proceeded to chug the rest of his drink, finishing with a satisfied sigh. "I've never had that kind of juice before, it's good!"

"Oh good, I'll have to tell my mom. She made it herself."

"Really, what's in it?"

"Kyoho mixed with blackberry, I think. Some of our relatives farther up north sent us a box a few days ago, so she's been trying out a bunch of different things."

"Neat!"

Then something dawned on him.

"Wait. Hold on, Suga, do your parents know about-?" He gestured wildly to the room.

"Oh yeah they know, don't worry about that. Actually, my mom's the one who gave me her old brushes to use. I had to wash them first but you can't really tell they've been well used. And sometimes she helps me find objects with interesting sounds. My dad doesn't really get involved though. Honestly, I think he's still confused about the whole thing. But he doesn't mind since the money I make from it helps a lot."

"Wow, that's- WAIT YOU'RE MAKING MONEY FROM THIS?!"

Suga gave him a confused look. "Yeah? Most people who do ASMR got some form of monetary compensation, though the source varies depending on-."

"BUT- WHAT WAS THAT WHOLE THING ABOUT IT BEING A DESIRE TO HELP PEOPLE?"

"I mean it still is! But like, University isn't cheap, so anything I can do to soften the blow to my parents-"

Jeez, even with money Suga was still thinking of others.

Nishinoya laid a hand on Suga's arm.

"You're a better man than I could ever hope to be."

"Where did that come from?!"

* * *

They got settled back down, returning to the peaceful atmosphere, and Suga started recording again. This time, the camera was zoomed in so Nishinoya's face took up most of the frame. His eyes were closed as Suga glided the soft brushes across his skin, varying in speed and motion. He felt himself melting into his seat, enjoying every moment, trying to etch it in his memory. He never wanted to forget this feeling, being here with Suga, in this room, where no one and everyone was watching.

* * *

"And that's a wrap!" Suga clapped lightly, moving towards his laptop to stop the recording before moving to the camera. Nishinoya stretched out his arms and legs. He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting, but his body had been still for longer than he ever thought possible and he needed to move.

"Sorry about that Nishinoya. I kinda figured you're not used to long periods of sitting. Thanks for putting up with it though." He held out his hands as Nishinoya plucked the mics from out of his ears.

Now that the small bits of plastic and metal were out he could hear a bit better. It was weird, like having come inside from a sunny day only to have your eyesight go all weird trying to readjust to the light. Only instead, now he could hear the entirety of Suga's voice.

"Don't worry about it, I mean what I got in exchange for not moving was pretty worth it."

"That's good to hear. I was a bit nervous, so I'm glad that you still enjoyed it."

"Honestly I couldn't tell, you were pretty good."

An awkward silence fell between them as they realized how bad that sounded out of context- or, at least one of them did.

"Anyway, the video probably won't go up for another couple of weeks, I usually record a bit in advance in case something happens, so-"

"Yeah, gotcha."

Suga went back to putting his stuff away, a bit more frantic than before.

Nishinoya was confused. He wasn't imagining that… weird tension, was he? It wasn't hostile or anything of the sort, so why-?

"You were a really big help today Nishinoya. Thank you again, and, I uh..."

He looked up at Suga, his back still to him, and smiled as he noticed Suga's ears had turned just the cutest shade of red. It was times like this he was really glad to be alone with Suga, seeing this rare bashful side of him that he never showed. How lucky.

"I'll come back- like if you need help or anything. Just give me a heads up again and I'll be there!"

Suga didn't look back but nodded. The blush had made its way across his entire face, complimenting his timid smile and relieved eyes.


	3. Jitters

Waiting for the video to finally go live was more than enough to make Nishinoya impatient. He couldn't help but ask about it every 15 minutes after he got home (even though Suga had explained it wouldn't be up soon), to which Suga told him he'd send a link as soon as he uploaded it so Nishinoya could be one of the first to watch. In the meantime, Nishinoya decided to look through some of Suga's videos he hadn't seen yet. There were some basic tapping and whispering one, but there were also some role playing scenarios, like getting a checkup or getting served at a cafe, and even a caring friend helping you fall asleep after a rough day. He decided to watch that one next.

* * *

As he listened to the sound of his friend's voice in his ears, he remembered the day like it'd just happened a few minutes ago. Seeing his smile and imagining him petting his hair, it put him at ease that night.

* * *

From that Sunday on, he found himself talking with Suga more in general. Not just about his troubles, or ASMR related things either, but even mundane stuff, like sharing the funny videos Tanaka sent him ("and they were roommates!" _Oh my god they were roommates_.) or Suga explaining what exactly a Kyoho was ("it's like, a giant grape?") or even just him spamming the other with various memes he liked. Regardless of what he was doing at the time, Suga always sent back a laughing sticker. He even answered some of Nishinoya's homework questions from time to time, if he wasn't busy doing his own studying (eventually, Nishinoya had so many homework related questions they decided that they'd get together after club so he could go through them). But mostly, they'd just chat about whatever was going on in the present time, in and out of their lives. He hadn't realized how much he didn't know about his upperclassman, or how much closer the two of them were becoming.

* * *

At long last, Suga sent him a link. The video was up. He was almost too excited to click it. But he did. He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears as the loading ring circled around and around. The title read "Loving Hairplay and Face Brushing ASMR".

 _Loving?_

Suga explained that it was common for people to put more intimate words in their titles to come off as more approachable and comforting. But it made that jittery feeling come back, considering it was the two of them… together… alone…

He slapped his face with both hands.

 _This isn't the time to get worked up over minor details Yuu! You are gonna relax if it kills you!_

Letting out a deep breath, he pressed play.

The warmth greeted him once again, only this time, he was included within it. Somehow, even he looked like he belonged in that world. He slowly began to remember the words Suga had spoken in his ears like it was yesterday. He recalled the feeling of his fingers moving through his hair and across his scalp, the tingling sensation whenever his hands got dangerously close to his neck. He could pinpoint the exact moments where Suga had almost made him burst out laughing again. What a tease. But something caught his attention partway through. The focus was mostly on Nishinoya, considering he was the one being brushed and combed through, but there was something about Suga that he just couldn't take his eyes off of. He looked so… captivating. His expression reminded him of the thumbnail where he first found Suga, only now, he knew it was directed at him, for him. That loving gaze...

He blinked. Once. Twice.

"AHHHHHHHH WHAT DID I JUST- WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?!"

A yelling, panicked Nishinoya began rolling around on his bed, hands over his face while messing up his sheets and dropping his phone on the carpet floor.

 _What? WHAT? WHY DID I THINK THAT?! Was it that stupid title- I bet it was SUGA WHY'D YOU HAVE TO GO AND MAKE IT SO MUSHY SOUNDING I HATE YOU!_

Soon, the air was as still as he was. He could hear the sounds of his heart rapidly beating, like he'd just saved a game changing play, and footsteps from the floor below, most likely his mom. She'd gotten used to his random outbursts by this point and only would come up in the direst of situations to lovingly tell her son to shut up. This was apparently one of those times. Her boss was over for some reason. Nishinoya didn't catch everything as he was still focused on the rampant heartbeat in his ears.

"Sorry mom," he muttered wearily from him pillow.

He peeked out from over his bed once she'd left. The video was still playing. Suga still had that look.

 _Suga…_

* * *

"Come on in!"

Nishinoya nodded before entering. It'd been less than a week since the video had been uploaded, and Suga had kindly asked him to help with another. He was more than happy to help, but-

"Nishinoya? Is something wrong?"

"Gah-! Ah, n-nothing Suga, just a bit tired."

"Oh, sorry to call you over like this- do you wanna rest for a bit before we start?"

"No no, it's all good Suga, trust me, it's just from, uh, homework stuff, ya know!"

The worried look didn't change much as Suga turned around to lead Nishinoya upstairs.

 _Homework stuff, what a lame excuse._

He didn't want to be all jittery like this but… ever since the video went up, it felt different thinking about Suga- like, all of him- and he didn't know why. It wasn't bad, and it wasn't like he didn't want to be near him but… he just didn't know.

He followed behind quietly as they made their way back to his studio.

"Sorry about bringing you back here again. I was planning to do this the last time you here here, but I didn't want to keep you for too long."

"Like I said Suga it's all good! I'm a man of my word. So, what exactly are we doing?"

He swore he saw a nervous exhale from Suga.

"Well… I thought maybe it'd be fun if… if the roles were switched."

"Roles?"

And then it hit him.

"You- you want me to-?!"

"I know, it's a lot to ask, but…"

Nishinoya was overwhelmingly confused.

 _Suga's the ASMR dude, so why does he want a total noob like me to do it? Why did he even think that was a good idea, there's no way I'd be any good! Who'd want to watch me fail that hard?_

"...sorry, that was a bit of a dumb idea wasn't it? Don't worry about it. I've got a couple other ideas we can try out." He laughed unconvincingly, turning around and pretending to rummage through his things.

The hint of sadness he tried to hide made Nishinoya's stomach turn. He recognized the way he tried to cover it up, acting like everything was alright.

"Well-!"

Suga looked back.

"I- uh… could I practice a bit first? I mean- I don't really know what to do, but I'm willing to try! And it sounds like fun!"

"Really?"

He nodded vigorously. Sure, he was still completely _unsure_ in his abilities to not screw this up, but seeing Suga like that made him feel worse.

"Well uh, alright then! Um, just let me grab some things and I can teach you the basics!"

* * *

A collection of brushes and a small bottle of moisturizer later, Suga and Nishinoya were sat on the guest bed lined with plain green sheets and a white duvet.

"I guess the first thing is to get used to the tools. So pick whatever you want to try and just, have at it. It's kinda hard to explain."

Nishinoya nodded. As a guy who moved on instinct, he sorta knew what Suga was getting at. He looked over at the stash and picked up the brush he knew best; the powder brush from the first video he'd ever seen.

Slowly he looked back, coming face to face with Suga once again, only this time his eyes were closed. He was kinda glad, if Suga had been looking at him while doing this he didn't know how jittery he'd feel- not like he wasn't already.

Raising his hand, Nishinoya gently brought the brush to Suga's left check. He let a small smile slip.

"I-is that okay?"

"...It tickles."

He blinked.

 _Revenge._

He poked his cheek again, fluttering the brush against his skin.

"Wha- hey!"

He kept poking at Suga cheek until the two of them were snickering and giggling.

"That's not fair Nishinoya!"

"Hey, your first mistake was trusting me with all this! The second was letting your guard down."

"Well, I guess that just shows how much I trust you then."

His heart sped up. Something about the way he said it made him feel warm in his chest and across his face. Now he was really glad Suga had his eyes closed.

"W-well, alright then!"

He went back to practicing, taking it a bit more seriously as he experimented with different strokes of the brush across Suga's face. He tried remembering what Suga had done in that first video, over his eyelids and down the bridge of his nose. He was by no means graceful, but Suga wasn't complaining. In fact, he even seemed to be enjoying it, letting out a soft sigh every now and then.

After a few minutes, Nishinoya decided to try out some of the other brushes he'd seen Suga use. It wasn't a huge collection, but varied enough that no two brushes felt completely the same.

* * *

About half an hour had passed, and Nishinoya had made it through almost all the brushes. He was currently tickling Suga's nose with the small poofy brush he had, getting a smirk in return.

"Now I think you're just messing around."

"What, me? Never. I am taking this very seriously Sugawara."

"Oh wow, I must have offended you if I'm getting my full name. Apologies."

Neither could contain their laughter, even as they tried to keep a straight face.

Nishinoya felt better, much more so than when he'd first arrived. This, it felt normal, like how they always were.

"So, once you feel prepared I'll show you some basic techniques."

"Alright!"

He reached over for the last thing, and only when he picked up the small bottle did he realize the gravity of the situation. He, Nishinoya Yuu, would be touching Suga's face. Like legit, actually, with his hands.

Suga noticed the pause and opened his eyes. "Hm? Are you oka-?"

"YEAH YEAH I'M FINE ITSALLGOODSUGA!"

Scratch that. The weird jittery feeling was back and stronger than ever.

"Um, i-is this new? I don't remember seeing you use this- at least not in the videos I've seen."

"Yeah, I've gotten a few requests to do more wet sounds, so I've been experimenting. Moisturizer seems to be the most common thing to use. But if I'm being honest, I've also been using it just for my face too, it's some really nice stuff."

He continued on about where he got the and his mom's recommendations, seemingly ignoring Nishinoya's jumpiness, but all Nishinoya could think about was Suga's soft skin, and how he was given permission to touch it.

"Nishinoya?"

"Uh- how much should I use?" He asked quickly, trying to cover up that he in fact had not been listening at all and was in his own little daydream world.

"Hm, I'd say something about this size," he said as he gently took the bottle from Nishinoya's hand and pumping out a small dollop. Nishinoya readied himself. He wasn't about to let these weird jitters get the best of him. He also didn't care that he might be making a bigger deal out of this than it was; Suga needed him to be good at this, or at the very least be passable for a 87 thousand follower audience, and that was that.

He took his index finger and applied a small bit of moisturize on Suga's face, starting on his right cheek this time, making small circles to work it in rather than add pressure. Slowly, he began to use more of his hands as he got more comfortable, developing a rhythm of sorts. He took time to explore the curves of his face; the soft dip under his eyes, the angle of his jawline, the slight raise in skin from underneath his lips. It was… strangely relaxing. Even though he wasn't the one sitting there getting a face massage, he began to feel calm, as though he was creating some sort of work of art.

 _Is… is this how Suga feels when he does his ASMR stuff? Is this part of why he likes doing this so much? I didn't realize- it's kinda cool._

"Nishinoya?"

Still in his thoughts, Nishinoya hadn't realized that he'd been holding Suga's face with both hands, and for quite some time judging by the warmth from his cheeks and his widened eyes.

 _Suga… His skin is even softer than I thought._

"Are you okay?"

 _And his eyes are just as pretty as last time._

He gently ran his thumb over his beauty mark.

 _Suga's like a work of art._

"You can stop if you wan-"

Suga didn't get to finish his sentence. Nishinoya wasn't thinking about anything anymore.

Neither could do those things as their lips pressed together softly.

It was warm, warm all over. He'd closed his eyes, taking in the heightened sensations: the pounding in his ears, the shaking of his hands, the tingle on his lips against Suga's, which were also quite soft.

Nishinoya pulled back, hands still on either side of Suga's face. Suga's eyes were still wide open, wider than before. Both had gone quite red at this point, neither saying a word.

 _Eh?_

And Nishinoya could think again.

 _EH????? WHAT DID I JUST DO TO SUGA???????_

He quickly pulled back his hands, his mouth wide open but no sound escaping. He was absolutely mortified.

"Nishi-"

A jumbled mess of sounds began spilling out all at once, and before Suga could stop him, Nishinoya had run out of the studio and into the nearest bathroom.

"Nishinoya!" Suga spring from the bed and ran into the hall after him, hearing the door slam shut.

Nishinoya sat on the floor, holding his head and gripping his flat hair.

 _Did I seriously just kiss Suga? Why did I do that?! And without asking too I'm such a jerk he's gonna hate me!! Good going me, stupid ass instincts! Stupid stupid stupid!!_

"Nishinoya, please come out!" Suga stood outside, talking through the door. He tried to open it. Locked. He should have guessed. Grimacing, he knocked on the door, a bit harder than he usually would. "Nishinoya, I just want to talk!"

"Talk? Talk about what? How I just ruined our friendship?!"

"Nishinoya-"

"It's true thought! Friends don't kiss each other, especially not like that! I don't even know what I was thinking, I just- I just moved! I'm such an idiot!" He lowered his face into his knees.

"Eh?" Suga stepped back. Did… did he not realize? He could hear Nishinoya through the door, sounding like he was holding back tears. Suga took a deep breath in, his heart beginning to speed up.

"Nishinoya." He spoke calmly, contrasting the shakiness he felt. "I'm not angry or upset, I promise. I just want you to come out."

There was a pause.

"...you mean it?"

"I do."

A few seconds passed before a small click was heard, and the door slowly opened. Along with his flushed face, Nishinoya had tears in his slightly puffy eyes. Suga felt his heart ache at the sight.

"...I'm so sorry." He bowed his head in shame. "I don't- I don't know what happened I- I was thinking about how you felt- when you're doing this- a-and then- your soft skin- and pretty eyes- and you looked so- like a- a work of art- and I- I'm so sorry!"

He was pretty sure he'd never heard Nishinoya stammer so much. And did he just call him a work of art?

"Nishinoya." He stepped forward towards the shorter boy, wrapping his arms around him and gently rubbing his back. He knew the other could probably feel his heart beating through his chest.

"It's okay. Because, I like you too."

 _...Like?_

Suga noticed how stiff Nishinoya had become, and pulled back only to see him completely baffled.

"Suga."

"...yes?"

"When you say "like", what exactly do you mean?"

Did he really not know?!

"W-well, I uh- I mean, I like you- like I want to, y'know, hang out more and maybe hold hands and cuddle and- and go on dates and…" his voice gradually softened until it was nothing more than a murmur. He didn't actually think he'd have to explain what his confession meant. But, did that mean-?

"Nishinoya… _do you like me_?"

"...you mean like how you described it?"

"Well, yeah."

A blank expression fell over him as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"So wait- did you kiss me without knowing?!"

"Well- I mea- I thought- I guess- what I mean is- gahhhh!" He frantically ruffled his hair, as if that would somehow give him the answer his brain was desperately searching for. He was sure he'd only thought of Suga as a really good friend and upperclassman, but those feelings got muddled somehow, and those jitters- and here he was, one kiss and a confession later and he still had no idea-

 _Wait._

"...Jitters."

"Huh?"

"When I came over, to help you with the video, I got these... weird jitters. I felt nervous sitting there for so long."

"Ah- I'm sorry Nishi-"

"But when I watched the video, I felt them again, and I- I thought it was the same thing, but it wasn't! I mean… I saw the way you were looking at me, and all of a sudden things felt- different. B-but not a bad different!"

"How I was- I was looking at you weird?"

"Yeah- wait, no, it wasn't weird, it was- um, like, how do I describe it? Kinda like- uh…"

Suga stood patiently, letting him work out his thoughts.

"Like you were- um… Like you were in love with me."

"Eh?" Heat shot up into Suga's face. "Wait, was I being that obvious? Oh jeez, that explains the comments."

"The comments?"

"Yeah. A bunch of my subscribers were asking if you were my- uh, if we were together and I just… I was so embarrassed- and I worried that it might have- y'know, creeped you out or something and-"

"I uh, actually didn't read the comments at all."

He was too focused on Suga, and trying to avoid thinking about him, to even finish the video, let alone scroll through the huge comment section.

"Really? Oh... wow, I feel kinda silly freaking out over that now." He covered his mouth, still blushing.

Suddenly, things began to make sense for Nishinoya. And he thought, maybe he knew now.

"Suga, I'm gonna be honest. I think I only just realized right this second how I feel about you."

"...And?"

He grabbed Suga's free hand and held it tightly. "What you just told me, all the handholding and going on dates and stuff, I-I'd really like that too!"

It took a moment for Suga to process and put together what he'd just heard.

"So … are you saying-?"

He nodded boldly. "Yeah! Suga, I- I like you!"

There it was. All the tension melted away with those stuttered confirming words. Suga held both of Nishinoya's hands, feeling tough skin against his own. He could only nod and smile, for he had no words to describe how elated he felt.

A sudden shift in weight made him stumble back as Nishinoya hugged him, wrapping his arms around his waist. Suga laughed, after a moment of confusion.

"I guess you're not holding back now."

He shook his head.

"Good. I wouldn't want it any other way," he replied as he hugged him back, letting the libero sink into him. The stillness of the house surrounded them as they stood, wrapped up in each other, in front of Suga's bathroom. There couldn't possibly be anything more romantic in that moment.

"Suga?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry about kissing you like that, without asking."

"It's okay Nishinoya. I forgive you."

"But…" He muttered something into Suga's shirt, Suga unable to catch it.

"What was that?"

He shifted nervously.

"...can I kiss you again? With your permission?"

Hands moved away from his back, repositioning themselves on Nishinoya's shoulders.

Suga was looking at him, smile timid and eyes relieved once again, but now they were on full display for the other to see. It was the softest and most adorable expression Nishinoya had ever seen. If he'd known this was the kind of reaction he was gonna get, he would've figured out his feelings sooner!

Suga leaned in, lingering just before Nishinoya's lips for a few seconds, smiling.

"Of course."

* * *

And after all that, they almost forgot they were supposed to film a video. They got around to it… eventually. But Nishinoya took Suga's cuddling offer up pretty quickly, so they were a little preoccupied. They made up for it by filming 3 different videos (including the debut of Tranquil Thunder ASMR as Suga called it), and by the time they were finished, it was already dark out. Nishinoya had to go home, but promised Suga they'd have a sleepover sometime soon. He agreed.

As he left the house and began his walk back home, Nishinoya couldn't help but give himself a celebratory cheer, dashing all the way back, giddy as a grade schooler. He was definitely gonna watch the rest of the video.

Suga closed the door after seeing him off, and only after going back to his studio did he take the time to let himself go through all the emotions he'd held back in that moment, even crying a little.

But he was happy.

They were happy.


	4. We're a Team (You can Trust Me)

Running his hands through Suga's hair had become a guilty pleasure for Nishinoya over the months. The way it felt, the soft strands brushing past his fingers, it was addictive to say the least. And Suga never minded when he found the libero absentmindedly playing around with his silver locks. He'd sigh and ease into Nishinoya's touch, and enjoy it for as long as he could. Today was another one of those times. He closed his eyes and let the feeling win him over.

"Hey. Koushi. Are you ever gonna announce that we're dating?"

Suga opened his eyes, looking beside him, hazel eyes meeting brown. Nishinoya had stopped playing with his hair, only looking back at the former setter as they laid on Suga's bed. The cool breeze of the small fan in his room brushed against their legs in an attempt to keep cool during another hot summer day.

That was the 3rd time he'd asked that question. The first was about a week after they started dating. The second was just when Suga was about to graduate. Both times he didn't give a definitive answer.

"Mm, I'm still not sure. Why do you ask?"

Nishinoya shifted onto his back, looking up at the cream coloured ceiling.

"Well, I read some of the comments on your latest video. People are still asking about me."

"Ahh." Suga smiled. It'd been 4 months since Nishinoya had been in one of his videos, yet by then he'd already made a big enough splash within his community to have become a sort of a staple, or at the very least stir up some curiosity.

"I think I saw one comment saying they'd actually cry if you were taken."

Suga paused, a flash of worry in his eyes, then laughed, a little snort escaping.

"Oh man, if I had a 100¥ for every comment like that, I could probably afford my whole university tuition at once."

Nishinoya couldn't help but smile, still looking at the ceiling.

"I mean I see where they're coming from. Anyone would be lucky to date you."

"Oh? And how would you know?" Suga asked as he shifted closer to the other, wrapping his arm around his waist.

"Just my gut instinct I guess, Koushi."

He rolled back onto his side as Suga pulled him in for a kiss, slow and sweet. He cupped his hand over Suga's cheek, running his thumb across his ever soft skin.

Nishinoya remembered when he wasn't used to saying Suga's first name, and the weeks he spent stuttering it at every attempt. But now he could say it like he'd known it his whole life. It made a whole new jittery feeling come alive within him, one that made him feel stronger than ever before. He gently nipped at Suga's bottom lip, getting a smile in return.

"Why do keep asking? Are you jealous?" Suga eyed him playfully.

Although meant in jest, Suga was getting more popular as the months went by, even so much as surpassing the 100k subscriber milestone that past April, becoming one of the few popular male ASMRtists (and his good looks and charming personality certainly helped). Sometimes he wondered if Nishinoya was worried about that. But his feelings towards the now third year had only flourished, despite the two of them having to get used to a long distance relationship. He couldn't think of feeling this way with anyone else.

"N-no! I-I mean, I just-"

He could feel him moving closer to him, his hand moving down from his cheek to around his arm.

"...I just want people to know... that you're mine." He buried his face in the crook of Suga's neck, the warmth from his face making it obvious how he was feeling.

"Yuu..."

Suga, endeared by his honesty, cradled his head. Over the past 7 months he'd come to learn so many new and wonderful things about the rolling ball of thunder, one of which being how impatiently, yet adorably clingy he could be, boarder-lining possessive at times. He recalled the chilly January evening they decided to tell everyone on the team.

* * *

 **7 months earlier...**

"Alright boys make sure to get proper rest for tomorrow, we're heading to Tokyo bright and early!"

"Yes, sir!" They all cheered in unison.

"Huddle-!"

"Uh- wait!"

All heads turned to Suga, who'd never interrupt Daichi unless it was important.

"Before that, there's something I'd- we'd like to tell you guys."

Before anyone had a chance to ask, Nishinoya joined Suga.

"Noya?" Tanaka asked.

"Is something wrong?" Asahi asked carefully.

"Well, you see-" Suga started, reaching for Nishinoya's hand. "You might have noticed that Nishinoya and I have been spending more time together lately, and well, that's because we're-"

"Oh, is this about your ASMR channel?"

The entire room fell silent. Suga and Nishinoya could only stare with mouths agape at the culprit, who was completely unaware of the weight of the statement he just made.

"K-Kageyama? You-?"

"Yeah, I watch sometimes- usually the one where you repeat volleyball terms. I read on a pro's blog that this kind of thing helps them focus. I don't understand it, but it's nice to listen to."

"You too? Oh good, I thought it was just me!"

Yamaguchi too?!

"You both knew?" Suga asked.

"Yeah? I thought this was about Nishinoya joining your channel."

"Really?! Nishinoya is that true- is that why you've been collaborating with Sugawara so much lately?"

These first years...

Yachi and Shimizu could only look at each other, not sure whether either of them should get involved. Takeda looked around frantically while Ukai began seriously considering implementing a rule over off-topic discussions during club. The rest of the team stared, lost as to what the 4 of them were going on about.

"Uh, Suga? What is an ASMR channel?" Daichi asked as if he shouldn't.

"Yeah, I wanna know too!" Hinata chimed it.

"D-do we even wanna know?"

"W-well- uh- it's not bad Asahi-!"

"And wait! Why did you keep it a secret Kageyama? Is this some kind of strategy to stay ahead of me?!"

"Wha? Of course not you idiot! And I wasn't keeping it a secret, I thought everyone knew!"

"Noya, what's goin' on? Are you two involved in something? Is that why you've been acting so weird lately?!"

"Yamaguchi, I'm lost, what exactly are these two fighting about and why do you know something about it?"

"Oh, well, you see Tsukki-"

 **"Oh for cryin' out loud!"**

Nishinoya's sudden outburst silenced the entire gym, and everyone lay witness to him pulling down Suga by the neck of his shirt into an eager kiss.

There were audible gasps.

He let go, leaving Suga breathless and dumbstruck. Nishinoya himself felt dizzy and flushed. He cursed his impatience while also not giving a damn.

Looking around he took in the reactions of the others. They seemed, well, surprised first and foremost. And... excited?

"S-Suga and I are dating now, and I've been wanting to tell you guys for weeks but Suga said we should wait and tell you altogether after the break so I couldn't talk about it myself, and we were gonna tell you now but you all wouldn't shut up so-!"

"Noyaaaaaaa!" Tanaka and the other seconds years barreled towards him, laughing and crying and smothering him in a giant group hug.

"Hey man, take it easy with the waterworks!"

"Nah, let him be. He's been worrying non-stop since school let out. Though I don't blame him, we've all been kinda worried, so we're just glad to find out it was something good!"

"Chikara... Ryuu... I'm sorry for makin' you guys worry about me!"

He hugged them back as they continued to smother him.

Meanwhile, Daichi and Asahi walked over to the still red-as-a-tomato 3rd-year setter. They'd known about Suga's crush for almost as long as he had developed it, and to see his feelings being reciprocated left them smiling wide.

"I'm really happy for ya Suga!"

"You finally got through to him eh? No wonder, you seemed way too happy lately."

"Ah- thanks Asahi- and wait what do you mean too happy, Daichi? I'm always happy."

"Says the person who willingly volunteered for garbage duty this week. Who does that?"

"I guess only someone who just got a boyfriend."

"Oh shut up!" He punched them lightly as he laughed.

"Sugawara, congratulations."

Shimizu walked up, Yachi in tow.

"It's honestly a bit unexpected- but I'm still super happy for you guys! I wish you both the best!"

"Uwaaaa! Sugawara-senpai, congratulations!" Hinata bounced up to him, eyes sparkling like this was the best news he'd ever received.

The rest of the first year boys followed behind.

"Congratulations, Sugawara!"

"I'm really happy for you Sugawara!"

"Congrats."

"You guys... heh, thank you!"

"And Nishinoya-senpai, congra- wait, where is he?"

It didn't take long for them to notice the second years parading Nishinoya around the gym, holding him up like some sort of prized artefact and chanting his name.

"Hey! Get Nishinoya over here so we can congratulate these two properly!" Daichi called out.

When they finally returned Nishinoya to Suga's side, they all congratulated the happy couple once again, who were now holding hands and blushing profusely.

Coach Ukai even treated them all something from the shop to celebrate. It was the middle of winter, and yet the cold wasn't enough to stop Nishinoya from getting his usual Gari Gari Kun. He opted for one with two sticks so he could share with Suga, who, after receiving his half, sneakily tried to take a bite out of Nishinoya's, and laughed when he got mad. As Yachi said, no one on the team thought the two of them would be the ones who'd get together like this, but looking at them as they walked together, laughing and poking fun at each other like they were in their own little world, you just knew how happy they were. And that was more than enough for them.

"By the way Suga," Daichi called out, "you never told us what an ASMR channel was."

He flinched. He was hoping they would've forgotten by now, but one should never underestimate Sawamura Daichi when it came to getting to the bottom of seemingly forgotten matters.

"Oh yeah! I wanna know too!" Hinata ran up closer to the pair.

"Didn't Kageyama say it helped him focus?" Asahi piped up.

"Well, ah..." Suga scratched his head, not sure how to start.

"Yeah! It's really cool, kinda science-y but not really, right Suga?"

Suga assumes he was referring to the lack of scientific research done on it and nodded gingerly.

"Kind of."

He knew they were curious, and Nishinoya was just trying to help everyone ease into it, but he couldn't help but feel nervous regardless. What would they really think of his hobby?

"By the way, what does eh-es-em-ahr mean?" Hinata asked, struggling to pronounce the syllables.

"It's an acronym of 4 English letters dumbass: A, S, M, and R."

"Wow, I never thought the King would be able to answer such a simple question about English. Today truly is special."

"Oh shut it!"

"Yeah! It stands for- wait, don't tell me, I know this... Autopsy Sensory Meridian Response."

A... Autopsy?

Suddenly Suga burst out laughing, almost dropping his half of the popsicle. Not just Nishinoya, but everyone was confused as to why the setter was suddenly clutching his stomach.

"What? Did I say something funny?"

Suga attempted to answer, only to be struck with more laughter, tears falling from his eyes.

"Um, Nishinoya," Yamaguchi interjected, "the A stands for Autonomous. Like, it's something that happens automatically. An autopsy is an examination of a body for the cause of death."

Well. That was embarrassing.

The entire team started laughing while Nishinoya blushed angrily. Tsukishima even gave Yamaguchi a high five, letting out a good laugh too.

Suga sighed, wiping a few tears from his eyes before hugging his blushing beauty of a boyfriend.

"A valiant effort Nishinoya."

"Says the one who started laughing!"

"Ahaha, you're right, I'm sorry. How can I make it up to you?

"You gotta send everyone a link to your new video."

"W-what?"

That was fast.

"Yeah! Like, I'm not saying that to punish you, but it'll be way easier to let them watch than trying to explain, like with me."

"I think that sounds like a plan."

Suga looked up.

"Daichi-"

"Well, you're probably never gonna do it unless we prod ya. And besides, if Nishinoya and some of our first years are vouching for it, it can't be as bad as we're thinking it is."

Suga looked to his team, not a hint of judgement or condescension from anyone- except maybe Tsukishima, but that was just his face, and even then he felt like he was getting his support too.

He felt a strong hand on his back, taking him by surprise.

"We're your team Suga, but we're also your friends. You can trust us."

"Nishinoya..."

He stood idle for a moment before taking a deep breath and pulled out his phone. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this.

"...it's in the group chat."

"Aw yeah!"

Nishinoya eagerly hugged Suga from the side, almost making him drop his phone.

"Make sure you guys watch it before you go to bed! Trust me on this."

"N-Nishinoya, they don't have to-"

"Uwaaaaaaa, Sugawara is that you in the thumbnail? You look so WAM! And KAPOW!"

"This is your newest one right? Definitely one of my favourites- oh Tsukki, make sure you watch with headphones, otherwise, you won't get the same effect."

"Shut up Yamaguchi, I get it."

"Headphones, huh? So there's a lot of sounds involved?"

"Well sorta, Asahi. It's more to do with specific sounds called triggers, and-"

"Hey, Suga! You should send one of the videos we did next!"

"Ahaha, sure, but which one?"

Kageyama stood blankly, confused as everyone began walking again, talking amongst themselves.

So... it's not Autopsy?

* * *

 **Back to the present...**

"You're thinking about the time I said Autopsy aren't you?"

Suga half shook his head immediately. "What makes you think that?" He asked, poorly hiding his laughter.

"Oh come on! Will I ever get a break?"

"I'm sorry! I thought you were joking the first time you said it!"

"Well, obviously I wasn't!"

Suga laughed some more, holding Nishinoya close as the fond memories replayed in his head.

"Well you're wrong, I was thinking about when we told the team about us. And that may have happened to come up during my recollection."

He could feel a soft kick at his shin.

"But that's okay. It's why I began to fall for you."

"Wha- really?!"

Nishinoya looked up with awe in his eyes.

"Uh huh. I mean, that whole conversation kinda sparked something. I started to realize just how caring you are, and how open you were in accepting me. And-"

He kissed his forehead, getting a little tuff of blond hair.

"You made me laugh, even though you'd just widened yourself."

Suddenly, flubbing the acronym didn't seem so bad anymore.

"Well, sounds like you wanna let everyone know how amazing I am," Noya huffed proudly.

"Maybe," Suga said teasingly with an air of unease, kissing his forehead again. "But not now."

"Eh?"

"Sorry Yuu, it's my channel."

"Come on Koushi, what needs to be kept secret from them? They're your fans, you should be able to tell them whatever you want!"

Nishinoya had meant for his responses to be nothing but baseless whining. However, he could feel Suga stiffen.

"Koushi?"

He began to sit up, leaving Nishinoya's embrace.

"Yuu, it's common for online personalities to keep certain things out of their online life. There are certain boundaries I'd like to keep. We don't need to tell them. It'll just make things complicated for you."

"I guess..."

Nishinoya half-heartedly sat up, only to notice something stirring in Suga's eyes.

"That's not everything is it?"

He could see Suga's shoulders hitch and the line of his mouth tighten.

"Koushi, it's fine if you don't wanna tell them, really. But I don't want you to be all in knots about it. Just talk to me."

The whir of the fan filled the silence as Suga steadied himself.

"...I'm worried."

"Worried? About what?"

Suga's hand gripped the sheets.

"It's just... I've heard so many things... partners getting hate, threats, stalkers, doxed, so many horrible things."

He took a shaky breath in.

"I-it's not like it happens often, especially in our community, but I can't help but think about what could happen to you- all because you're with me- I don't think anyone would- but-"

"Koushi-"

"And my audience... I don't want them to hate you... or me. I know, it's selfish, a-and stupid but-"

"Koushi. Look at me."

Teary eyes met determined ones.

"I don't think I fully understand what you're going on about, but you know, that's okay. You're worried and I believe you. But I want you to believe in them- the people who love you and what you create. And hey, if something does happen, that's what we're here for. We'll get through it together. Because," he took Suga's hand in his, "we're a team. You can trust me."

"Yuu..."

He smiled his signature smile, putting Suga at ease. Suga wiped his eyes.

"I'll think about it."

"And don't do it for my sake either, even if I reeeeeaaaallllllyyy want you to! Like you said, it's your channel. And whatever you decide, I'll support you 100%! It's my job!"

"Ahaha, I kno-"

He was interrupted by an energetic hug from the side.

"And also because I love ya!"

Suga's heart swelled as he laughed and hugged his boyfriend back, peppering his face and neck with kisses.

They truly couldn't ask for anything better.

And to think this all started because of some sleeping trouble, a haphazard search online, and 4 little letters.

Oh, and some soft whispers and makeup brushes.


End file.
